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Wednesday:
April 19, 2000 | |
0001 GMT |  |
The aftermath of Apollo 13
In a colourful half hour ceremony at Houston, President Nixon, accompanied
by Mrs Nixon, presented the Medal of Freedom, America's highest civil award,
to the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center in recognition of their achievement in
bringing Apollo 13 safely home.
 FULL STORY
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Friday:
April 17, 1970 | |
1500 GMT | |
Apollo 13 returns home
Re-entry day -- the climax of this 7-day space drama -- started quietly. But
steady confidence changed to nervous tension when the Commander, Jim Lovell,
who's now clocked up 30 days in space, made what was probably his biggest
mistake in all that time.
FULL STORY
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Service Module separation reveals major damage
The crew have successfully jettisoned the Service Module, and taken
photographs of it, heavily damaged, and with debris hanging from it.
FULL STORY
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The human factor of the Apollo 13 crisis
The human problems are as big as the technical ones for Apollo 13. The astronauts need to stay rested to complete important tasks. And the astronauts' wives are listening continuously to their private feed from Mission
Control.
FULL STORY
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Thursday:
April 16, 1970 | |
0001 GMT | |
Capsule air and plutonium concerns for Apollo 13
As Apollo 13 is nursed homewards, the astronauts' main concern is the Lunar spacecraft's air conditioning system is not designed to provide fresh air for the docking tunnel and Command Module. There is also worry about the atomic battery onboard.
FULL STORY
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Wednesday:
April 15, 1970 | |
0400 GMT | |
Apollo 13 rounds the moon
Apollo 13, safely around the moon, and steadily speeding up as it approaches
earth, still faces many problems before it can be regarded as out of
trouble.
FULL STORY
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Tuesday:
April 14, 1970 | |
2130 GMT | |
Apollo 13 on Free Return Trajectory
Apollo 13 has achieved the first step necessary for a safe journey home.
The crew has fired the Lunar Module's descent engine to enter what's called a "free return trajectory". If no further rocket firings are possible, the craft will pass round the back of the moon and return to Earth, probably on Saturday.
FULL STORY
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"The longest night"
Glynn Lunney at Mission Control described it as "the longest night in the
space programme". For hours after the explosion we've been listening to the
exchanges between the crew and Mission Control, trying to identify what it
is that the astronauts can see venting into space.
FULL STORY
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Crisis hits moon mission
Big trouble for Apollo 13 -- so serious that there's talk of having to use the Lunar Module as a lifeboat to help get the crew back to Earth.
FULL STORY
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Monday:
April 13, 1970 | |
0500 GMT | |
Astronauts rest as they cruise on
With a strenuous time ahead of them when once they get to the moon, the crew
are being given as restful a time as possible on the long journey there. This morning, the crew successfully carried out a mid-course correction and a TV transmission at the same time.
FULL STORY
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Sunday:
April 12, 1970 | |
0457 GMT | |
Apollo 13 on track to the moon
Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert are now so accurately on course for their 75-hour flight to the moon that their first mid-course correction has been cancelled.
FULL STORY
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Saturday:
April 11, 1970 | |
1845 GMT | |
In orbit despite rocket problems
Apollo 13 and its three-man crew have been successfully launched into Earth
orbit, and are now being checked out before being placed in a 75-hour
trajectory to the moon -- longer than usual because the moon is almost at
its maximum distance of 252,000 miles.
FULL STORY
LAUNCH VIDEO
ALTERNATE LAUNCH VIDEO
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Apollo 13 is go for launch!
At Cape Kennnedy, everything is now in order for today's planned launch of
America's third moonlanding mission. Liftoff is expected at 2:13 p.m. EST (1913 GMT). Spaceflight Now will have a full report after the launch including video of the liftoff.
FULL STORY
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Friday:
April 10, 1970 | |
1500 GMT | |
Swigert joins Apollo 13 crew -- its official
Apollo 13 is now expected to be launched tomorrow with astronaut Jack Swigert, the backup Command Pilot, in the centre couch. The flight had been on the verge of postponement for nearly a week.
FULL STORY
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Flight Data File
Mission: Apollo 13
Flight crew:
James A. Lovell, Jr.
John L. Swigert, Jr.
Fred W. Haise
Launch vehicle:
Saturn V AS-508
Launch:
1913 GMT, April 11, 1970
Lunar landing site:
Fra Mauro
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